Dan Edwin Wilson, Conspiracy to Obstruct and Other Charges, Washington 2023

A Kentucky man has been sent to prison for his role in the January 6th Capitol breach, a day that will be etched in American history as one of the most violent and disturbing in recent memory.

Dan Edwin Wilson, 48, of Louisville, Kentucky, was sentenced to five years – or 60 months – imprisonment, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich, for his crime of felony conspiracy.

Wilson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer, a felony offense. He also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of an unregistered firearm, charges originally brought in the Western District of Kentucky, which have since been transferred to the District of Columbia.

According to court documents, Wilson began planning in the winter of 2020 to obstruct and interfere with the joint session of Congress at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to certify the Electoral College vote. He communicated with co-defendant David Scott Kuntz and others through encrypted messaging applications and live voice push-to-talk platforms.

Wilson and Kuntz traveled to Washington, D.C., with the intent to corruptly obstruct or impede Congress. They agreed with each other and others to work together and coordinate their actions on January 6th. At the Capitol, Wilson made his way past fencing and barricades and joined thousands of other rioters on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol.

Throughout the day, Wilson used Zello, a live voice push-to-talk platform, to coordinate with other rioters and share updates on their progress. He encouraged others to join the effort and expressed a willingness to take drastic action, including violence.

U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich called Wilson’s actions ‘serious’ and ‘reckless’, and said they ‘posed a significant threat to public safety and the rule of law.’ Wilson’s sentence is a reminder that those who engage in violent and extremist behavior will be held accountable for their actions.

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